After offering religious rituals, the Sikh pilgrims will leave for Nankana Sahib on April 14. He said a large number of Sikh pilgrims from various parts of the world, especially UK, France, US, Canada and UAE, were also expected to attend the festival.

He said Sikh and Hindu pilgrims from Fata, Peshawar, Swat, Tando Adam, Larkana, Sukkur, Badin, Umar Kot, Karachi and Lahore would also join the celebrations.

It may be recalled that the festival is observed every year on the first day of Besakh, the fifth month of the Bikrami calendar, falling on April 12.

News Source: http://www.dawn.com/2011/04/08/3000-sikh-pilgrims-due-in-hassanabdal.html

Hassanabdal police claimed to bust six member gang of bandits involved in bloody dacoity, robbery and theft cases and arrested three of their members.    Addressing press conference here on Tuesday by District Police officer (DPO) Dr Syed Akhter Abbass at Hassanabdal has said that police bust an inter district gang of bandits involved in a number robbery, theft, dacoity cases besides killing a man on resistance in a day broad light dacoity on March 25.
The DPO has said that those members of the gang who were arrested including gang leader Sajjad Ahmed, Saqib Mehmood, Bilal Khursheed while Zahid Khan, Badshah Khan and Irfan Khan residents of different areas of KPK are still at large and haunt has launched for arrest of these outlaws. He said that weapons and vehicle uses in these crimes also recovered from these outlaws.
He said that the gang looted many houses and shops in rural and urban areas of the city and spread terror and unrest among the peaceful masses of the city. He said that the tracing of the gang and arresting its members is a major breakthrough of the Hassanabdal police which would curtail crime ratio in the area besides ensuring peaceful atmosphere to the masses living in the area.

News Source : S. Khan journalist

The condition of the school has made the Punjab government’s education reform programme, which promises education for all, a mere sloganeering.

The school situated just opposite to Gurdawara Punja Sahib and in the vicinity of Hassanabdal Cadet College.

During a visit to the school it was observed that maintenance work at the school has not been carried out since its establishment before partition as roofs and walls of almost all classrooms are in dilapidated condition, which speaks volumes about the apathy of the officials of the education department.

Teachers say the building has been in dilapidated condition since long, but the October 2005 earthquake caused a great damage rendering it unfit for use.

They said the education department paid no attention to the cracks the building has developed in the earthquake, posing a constant threat to the lives of the students as well as teachers.

There is no playground facility and massive multistory construction around the building has made fresh air and sunlight almost inaccessible to the school. According to the school administration, most of the students especially toddlers fall ill by sitting on naked floor in winter which also results in increased dropout ratio.

It was observed that classes of I and II are over-crowded and students were compelled to sit in a small rooms.

Talking to this reporter a Class II student, Aabid Khan said he suffered cold thrice in rainy season because he had to sit on bare floor in harsh winter season. He said after every rainy spell children got sick as it become impossible for them to sit on floor without rugs.

Fahad Ali, a Class I student said that he was charged Rs5 for Red Crescent Society fund but he had no money to purchase his school uniform. Most of the students said that they had to visit their houses to attend the call of the nature as single washroom could not cope with over 400 students.

The teachers of the school said that they were forced to teach the students under the cracked roofs and inside damaged walls of the school building.

Despite repeated appeals by the teachers and parents of the students, neither the provincial government nor district education authorities concerned had taken any step to repair the building.

When contacted Mohammad Yousaf, headmaster of the school said the school administration had also sent countless reminders and requests to the education department authorities but without result. Responding a question, Mr Yousaf
said that students studying in the school belonged to poor class.

When contacted Deputy District Officer (education) Akram Zia admitted that the school was in poor condition.

He said the school administration had sent many letters to the education department drawing their attention towards the shabby condition of the building and missing facilities and a sum of Rs45 million had been sanctioned but the amount had not been released for want of funds.

Responding to a question he said Rs5 had been charged on the directives of Punjab government. He expressed the hope that work on the provision of missing facilitates at the school would begin by the start of next academic year.

News Source: http://www.dawn.com/2011/03/27/hassanabdal-primary-school-in-pathetic-condition.html

News source: http://www.dunyanews.tv/index.php?key=Q2F0SUQ9MiNOaWQ9MjIzNDg=

* Visitors play role of goodwill ambassadors for Pakistan

By Afnan Khan

LAHORE: The Evacuee Trust Property Board (ETPB) and concerned authorities are all set to host the Baisakhi festival with around 8,000 foreign guests, mostly Sikh pilgrims from all over the world, from the first week of April.

The number of foreign guests, mostly from India, will be doubled this year on the orders of board Chairman, Asif Hashmi, who recently chaired a meeting of high-ups from police and other departments to supervise the preparations for the event.

Hashmi said that such events were essential to promote a soft image of the country across the globe. ETPB increased the number of pilgrims due to requests by members of the Sikh community.

He said that the visitors not only appreciated the efforts of Pakistani government for facilitating such a huge event but also played the role of goodwill ambassadors of Pakistan in different parts of the world.

He said that around 4,000 pilgrims had visited Pakistan during the last Baisakhi and visitors, mostly from India, US, Canada and Europe, were very happy with the decision of the board. He said that strict security measures had been taken to ensure foolproof security for the foreign guests.

Hashmi added that the board would provide the visitors with the facilities of boarding and lodging along with security and medical treatment in case any of them falls sick during the days-long celebrations.

Thousands of Sikh pilgrims visit Pakistan every year on different events, including Besakhi, Guru Nanak’s birth anniversary and religious rituals associated with other Sikh gurus and personalities. Gurdwara Dera Sahib in Lahore, a number of temples in Nankana Sahib and Hassan Abdal are primary sites of visit for Sikh pilgrims.

News Source: http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2011%5C03%5C19%5Cstory_19-3-2011_pg13_6

Around 5,000 Sikh yatrees Friday arrived here at the Wagha Railway Station by two special trains to attend the 542th birth anniversary Baba Guru Nanak.The yatrees left for Nankana Sahib after their arrival from India under high security to attend the three days religious ceremonies. The senior officials of Evacuee Trust Property Board (ETPB) and Pakistan Sikh Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (PSGPC) received them with warm welcome. Palki (palanquin), the main feature of the celebrations will be held at Janamasthan (Nankana Sahib) on November 21 (tomorrow). The Sikh yatrees will visit Sacha Sauda (Farooqabad). On November 22, they will leave for Punja Sahib (Hassan Abdal). On November 25, they will visit Dera Sahib Lahore and on November 26 they will visit Dera Rohri Sahib Aimanabad and Kirtarpur, Shakargarh. The yatrees will return to India on November 28.The government has made strict security arrangements for them, besides the arrangements made by the customs, railways, immigration and other departments to facilitate them. The yatrees while speaking to media expressed their satisfaction over the arrangements made by the government for them. Meanwhile, Pakistan Railways has operated three special trains to facilitate the Sikh pilgrims on the occasion of Baba Guru Nanak’s birth anniversary. The pilgrims reached Nankana on special trains, which departed from Karachi Cantt, Larkana and Jacobabad via Rohri, Khanpur and Khanewal. The trains will leave Nankana to take the pilgrims back on November 22.

Cadet College Hasan Abdal whitewashed PAF Public School & College, Sargodha in the Annual Sports Fixture. We won Cricket match by 70 runs and Football by 2-0. Basketball was again won by CCH with a score of 60-54, while Hockey match was drawn 1-1.

Earlier, we outclassed Abbottabad Public School & College in the Annual Sports Fixture. We won Cricket match by 68 runs and Football by 5-1. Hockey match was drawn 1-1, while APS&C didn’t bring its Basketball team.

We drew sports fixture with MCJ, Military College Jhelum. All the three matches i.e. Football, Hockey and Basketball were drawn with equal scores surprisingly. All the matches were nail-biting and were played with full spirit.

Before that, we won Basketball against Sadiq Public School, Bahawlpur and lost cricket against them. Hockey and Football matches were drawn, and thus the whole fixture was declared drawn.

The bus carrying 42 passengers, which was flagged off by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in Amritsar, was received by Federal Minister for Religious Affairs Muhammad Ejazul Haq, Punjab Tourism Minister Mian Aslam Iqbal, Transport Minister Rana Shamshad and Lahore District ‘Nazim’ Mian Amir Mehmood.

Hundreds of school children carrying Pakistani and Indian flags were also present to welcome them.

“I, along with other ministers and district nazim, have come to welcome you all on behalf of our President, Prime Minister and the Punjab (Pakistan) Chief Minister,” Haq, son of former military ruler Ziaul Haq, told Punjab Transport Minister Mohindar Singh K P who travelled in the bus.

Later, talking to mediamen, Haq said efforts are on for softening visa policy between Pakistan and India, as well as setting up visa consulates in Lahore and Amritsar.

Both sides are also considering to start a bus service between Amritsar and Hasan Abdal, another Sikh pilgrimage centre in Pakistan, he was quoted as saying by the official APP news agency.

The new bus service would further foster people-to-people bonhomie between the two Punjabs, which would definitely improve relations between the two neighbouring countries, the Pakistani Minister said. “We will try to ensure maximum facilities to the visitors as they come here with religious zeal and in this connection two four-star hotels — one each at Nankana Sahib and Hasan Abdal (Punja Sahib) — will be constructed. Their ground-breaking ceremony will be held in June or July this year,” Haq said.

The government is also developing the historical places of other religions such as Buddhism at Swat, Mardan and Taxila to attract more foreign tourists to Pakistan, he said.